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£84 Million Injection to Tackle Homelessness
The Government has announced an £84 million package to help councils prevent homelessness and support families this winter.
Unveiled on World Homeless Day (10 October), the funding aims to provide immediate help for children and families in temporary accommodation and to strengthen prevention services. It builds on what Ministers describe as a “record £1 billion investment this year to end homelessness and rough sleeping.”
The package includes:
- £70 million for the Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant to help 62 local authorities strengthen local support, provide sustainable accommodation, and deliver specialist mental health and addiction services.
- £11 million for 61 areas with high numbers of families in temporary accommodation to cover essentials such as food, school transport, laundry, Wi-Fi, and uniforms.
- £3 million for drug and alcohol treatment support, targeting people at risk of homelessness or rough sleeping.
- £200,000 for voluntary and community-led initiatives such as night shelters.
Housing Secretary Steve Reed said the Government “will not stand idly by” while rising homelessness affects families and children, promising to invest “£1 billion to give homeless people the security of a roof over their heads and get back on track to end homelessness for good.”
Homelessness Minister Alison McGovern added that “you can’t have a decent life without a decent home,” highlighting the Government’s wider £39 billion investment to increase social and affordable housing supply and a forthcoming Child Poverty Strategy.
The funding will be targeted toward areas under the greatest pressure, including London, the South East, and the South West. The Government has also confirmed plans to repeal the 200-year-old Vagrancy Act by Spring 2026, ending the criminalisation of rough sleeping.
Read the press release here
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RSN Comment The Rural Services Network (RSN) welcomes this additional support but stresses that rural homelessness and deprivation must not be overlooked in the allocation of resources. As a member of the Rural Homelessness Counts Coalition, the RSN continues to highlight that homelessness in rural areas is often hidden, taking forms such as sofa-surfing, living in outbuildings, or temporary accommodation that falls outside official counts. Recent research, including the Pretty Poverty Report (2025), reveals how deprivation in rural and coastal areas is routinely underestimated by national measures, masking real hardship in places that appear prosperous on the surface. Similarly, research ‘Homelessness in the Countryside: A Hidden Crisis’ from 2023 found that rural local authorities received 65% less per capita for homelessness prevention than urban counterparts, despite rising need. Through our Delivering for All campaign, the RSN continues to call for fair funding, better data, and rural-proofed housing and homelessness strategies. Ensuring that new homelessness support reaches all communities, including those where deprivation is dispersed and less visible, is essential if we are to tackle the true scale of housing need across England. Every community deserves access to safe, affordable housing. Hidden homelessness in rural areas must be recognised and addressed as part of the national effort to end homelessness for good. |
Header Image Credit to Centre for Homelessness Impact: Chris (C), Michelle (C) and Yanis (C) by Jeff Hubbard
